Nursing Home Sued for Asking Workers for Family Medical History

A new government lawsuit alleges that a skilled nursing facility violated federal law when it asked workers for their family medical history. The suit is one of the first of its kind.

According to the lawsuit, the facility asked for the family information as part of mandated medical examinations, which were done after new workers were offered jobs but before they started. The examinations were also repeated annually.

The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claims that requesting the family information violates the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA. GINA bans employers from asking workers about their genetic information and using that information in the hiring process.

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